


of college and clubs

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 17:16:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One transfer student, a marine biology club, and a meeting that was meant to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	of college and clubs

**Author's Note:**

> requested by an anon on my tumblr.

Haruka finds a seat in the back in a corner of his lecture hall. Quantitative reasoning. He’s not good at math but he’s not terrible at it either. He just wants to stay invisible and sleep. The teacher won’t care. They usually don’t when they have lectures this huge with over one hundred students. Another half hour until class begins. Haruka lays his head down and closes his eyes. Maybe a nap will refresh him.

He wakes up with a start when the professor’s loud voice booms throughout the lecture hall. Irritated that he was woken up so suddenly from his nap, Haruka narrows his eyes at the professor. His arms cross and he glares. Feeling as if he were wronged in some heinous way, Haruka doesn’t take any notes. That’ll show him.

The door opens a few minutes later and a tall boy with light brown hair walks in. He has a nervous smile on his face as he approaches the professor. They exchange some words that Haruka can’t make out (he’s too far back).

“Take a seat anywhere you want,” the professor says before going back to the lesson.

The tall boy walks up the stairs, turning his head, searching for somewhere to sit. When the boy’s eyes land on Haruka, he feels something. He’s not exactly sure what it is, but it is something. But the feeling passes just as soon as it came and he goes back to being indifferent.

The tall boy continues walking up the stairs until he’s one row in front of Haruka. His hair looks kind of nice. Haruka’s hand almost reaches out and touches it. He pinches his cheek and goes back to sleeping. He only wakes up when he hears feet shuffling. It’s time for his next class.

Haruka is ten minutes early. He finds a seat in the back again. Another class he doesn’t care about: literature. He twirls his pencil between his fingers and waits for the professor. Maybe he’ll take another nap. He’s about to close his eyes until he sees the tall boy again. He’s panting.

Strange. Haruka stares at him. Was he running? Why would he run to class? What a weird boy. Haruka would’ve napped again until the tall boy is walking towards him. Once again, taking a seat one row in front of Haruka. He isn’t being followed, that much is easy to tell. But seeing this boy again, sitting in similar seats, it can’t be just a coincidence, can it?

Haruka shakes his head, puts his head down on the desk, and naps. He wakes up and the tall boy is gone. Oh, class must be over.

It takes Haruka two weeks of school to learn that the tall boy is a transfer student. No wonder he was running to class and was late all the time. He wasn’t eavesdropping on the tall boy’s conversation with a classmate. He wasn’t, really. They were just talking a little too loudly and his hearing is a bit keen. That’s all.

He takes another nap.

By the third week of school, Haruka is all ready fed up. He wakes up early for his morning classes which hold no interest for him at all and he sees the same tall boy over and over again. He’s not exactly fed up with the tall boy, hell, he’s never said a word to him. But it’s something and Haruka can’t quite put his finger on that something. He stares down at his desk and frowns, pretending he’s in a pool somewhere, immersed in the water.

The tall boy doesn’t run to class anymore. He's still late sometimes, but he doesn’t come in panting. He takes his seat one row in front of Haruka, like he always does. There’s an exam today. Haruka hasn’t studied. He has no idea what’s going on so he’s going to wing it. The exam is passed up. The tall boy turns around and hands it to Haruka. The tall boy is smiling for some reason. Haruka makes no attempt to smile back and takes the exam without a word.

He scans the exam and quickly fills in the answers before resting his head on his arms. He sighs. Bored. Sitting up straighter, he takes a glance at the clock. Half an hour to go. He lets out another sigh and looks down. The tall boy is still taking the exam. Haruka can see part of his exam from where he’s sitting. Slightly interested, he leans forward.

Tachibana Makoto. It’s taken Haruka three weeks and two days to finally learn the tall boy’s name. Now he can stop calling him tall boy in his head. Tachibana Makoto. His name reminds Haruka of mackerel which only makes him want to leave even more.

“If you’re done with your exam, you can leave after you give it to me,” the professor announces.

Oh. Right. He’s an idiot. Haruka swings his bag over his shoulder and walks down the stairs. He places his exam on the front desk and heads for the door. He doesn’t know what stops him, but something does and he glances up at the tall b—no, at Tachibana Makoto before exiting through the door.

With Autumn coming, the pools are closing. And since the pools are closing, Haruka doesn’t have much to do after school besides homework and sleep. His last class ends and as he walks out, he sees a wall plastered with advertisements for clubs. Yes, he’ll join a club. That’ll give him something to do.

He glances at flyers, none of them really catching his eye. He’s about to give up until he sees a flyer for a marine biology club. Marine biology…That means sea creatures and water and anything water related. His hand reaches out for the flyer. Before he can get it, his hand collides with another hand, bigger and rougher.

Both hands retract immediately and the owners of said hands jump back in surprise.

Oh. It’s Tachibana Makoto. Makoto smiles sheepishly at Haruka.

“Ah, sorry,” he says and leaves.

The awkwardness still hangs in the air but Haruka ignores it. There was something. Something when they touched. He holds the hand that touched Makoto’s; his thumb rubbing the palm. His fingers still tingling from the contact. He lets go and clenches his hand.

Haruka rips the flyer off the wall and reads it more thoroughly. There’ll be a meeting Wednesday this week. They meet every Wednesday at the aquarium, a five minute walk from campus. Aquariums. He sighs, a small smile gracing his face. Aquariums are filled with water and sea creatures and calmness. He’ll like this club, he’s sure of it.

Tuesday comes and goes, passing by quicker than Haruka expected. But Wednesday is a different story. He’s anxious and jittery. He’s ready to leave and head for the aquarium. But he can’t. He’s not going to skip class (he’s kind of paying for them). His professor finally ends the lecture and Haruka runs out. He hurries to the aquarium, getting there in three and a half minutes.

“Are you here for the marine biology club?” a woman with brown hair asks him.

He nods, panting slightly, as he wipes the sweat from his forehead. The woman smiles and points to the back of the aquarium.

“We’re going to gather everyone over there. You can just sit and wait or watch the fishies, hehehe. Oh, I’m Amakata-sensei by the way.” She smiles again.

Haruka nods and goes where he was directed. He sits down on a cushioned bench and exhales. The lights are dim and he’s surrounded by encased water. His shoulders slump and his eyes close. He hears someone shuffling beside him before taking a seat next to his. Haruka cracks open one eye and sees Tachibana Makoto sitting next to him.

He’s not too surprised. Makoto was looking at the flyer as well so it’s expected that he would come to the meeting.

Huh. So he’s interested in water too…

Haruka looks at Makoto out of the corner of his eye, not saying a word. He never initiates a conversation. He’s kind of expecting (hoping, even) Makoto would start it. Unsure of why he feels a strange urge to talk to Tachibana Makoto, Haruka narrows his eyes.

Damn you, Tachibana Makoto.

“Ah, is everyone here? Oh, well, that doesn’t matter right now,” Amakata-sensei rambles. “Hello, everyone! This is the marine biology club’s first meeting! Isn’t this exciting? I’m going to pass out a piece of paper. Please write your name and email address please.”

Amakata-sensei waits until everyone has signed the paper. A student hands it back to her.

“All right! Thank you for your cooperation. Now, for those of you who don’t know what this club is about or what we’ll be doing, I’m here to tell you. We’ll be meeting here everyone Wednesday. The aquarium is a great place to start learning about the things that live underwater. You’ll observe these cute sea creatures and write down your observations. Ah, but this isn’t just about looking at fish. We’ll watch documentaries and read about the effects the environment has on the ocean and how we can try to help.

“But since it’s only our first meeting, you guys can just look around and familiarize yourself!” Amataka-sensei laughs and shoos the students away. “Go on, look around.”

Haruka remains still. The bench is comfortable and warm. Besides, he can see everything just fine from where he’s sitting. Makoto is looking at one if the exhibit, seemingly lost in it. Haruka stands up and his feet take him to to Makoto. They’re a good five feet apart from each other, but Haruka finds it suffocating.

“You…Your name’s Tachibana Makoto,” he says.

The other boy is startled out of his thoughts and turns to face Haruka. His surprised expression melts into a smile.

“Yes,” Makoto says. “How did you know?”

“Hnn…” Haruka avoids the question and stares at the exhibit Makoto was staring at.

“And you are?”

“Nanase. Nanase Haruka.”

Makoto’s still smiling. “Oh, you have a feminine name as well.” He chuckles and goes back to looking at the exhibit.

It’s not suffocating anymore. Haruka can breathe easily again. No words are spoken. It’s not awkward like last time; it’s sort of comforting. It’s like they’re having a conversation without actually speaking. Haruka’s eyes light up and fishes gather close to them.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” Makoto says.

“Yeah.”

Makoto laughs. “You’re not very talkative, are you?”

“Yeah.”

Makoto laughs again, shaking his head this time. He waves goodbye and heads home. Haruka watches him go. Yeah, he can’t wait to see Makoto again tomorrow. Maybe he’s finally made a friend in college. At least he won’t be so bored in class anymore.

Haruka decides to stop by the store near his house and buy a popsicle.

Haruka gets up at exactly six thirty every day. He spends about an hour in the bathtub. Only when the water gets cold does he get up and dry himself and prepare for the day. Mackerel for breakfast. Mackerel and rice packed for lunch. It’s all he really needs. Once he’s out of the house, Haruka grabs his bike off the rack and carries it down the steps to the street.

He walks his bike until he’s ready to get on. As his leg swings over the seat, the front wheel of his bike crashes into another bike. Haruka stumbles back and falls downs.

“Ah! Sorry!”

That voice sounds familiar. Haruka looks up and sees brown hair and he knows just who it is.

“Tachibana Makoto.”

“Ah! Haru! I didn’t know you live around here. Are you all right?” Makoto extends a hand towards Haruka.

Haruka grabs it without a second thought and Makoto pulls him up easily. The next moment, Haruka finds himself walking to school with Makoto. They fall into a rhythm, as if they’ve been doing this for years. They pass the ocean on their way. Makoto gives it a long, faraway look. Haruka cocks his head to the side and his eyebrows furrow.

“Do you like the ocean?” he asks.

Makoto looks at him for a moment before answering, “Yes…I like it.”

He’s not lying, Haruka can see the sincerity in his eyes. But a part of him was telling him that Makoto is hiding something. Haruka doesn’t pry. It’s not his business anyway (but that doesn’t stop the curiosity from brewing).

Haruka takes a seat in his usual spot in the back. Instead of sitting one row in front of him, Makoto takes a seat beside the shorter boy. Haruka doesn’t mind; it’s nice to have a friend. At least, he hopes Makoto is his friend. Having a friend doesn’t stop class from being boring so he takes a nap. He hears Makoto scribbling down notes.

Ah, so he’s the note taking type.

Makoto nudges Haruka once class ends. The shorter boy sits up, blinking away his sleepiness. Makoto slides him his (Haruka’s) notebook. Notes and all.

“You took down notes for me?”

“Only what I thought was important. You never know when you’re gonna need notes,” Makoto says.

Ah.

“Oh.” A thank you gets caught in his throat and that’s all he can get out.

But Makoto smiles and nods as if he understands. No one has really ever understood but this is different.

“It’s our lunch break. Do you wanna get some food? There’s a noodle shop in the cafeteria,” Makoto says.

“I bought lunch.”

“Ah, then will you wait for me?”

“Yeah,” Haruka says without hesitation.

Neither finds it weird, especially since they’ve just met.

The rest of the day passes uneventfully. The week passes by uneventfully. Haruka continues sleeping in class and Makoto continues taking notes for him. They fall into a sort of routine. Haruka would wait with his bike for Makoto to show up and they would walk to school together. Makoto would always look out at the ocean and Haruka would pretend he doesn’t see it.

It’s nice having a friend. It’s especially nice having one who’s willing to take notes for you.

By their second marine biology club meeting, Amataka-sensei makes the decision for them to meet at the beach. “It’s more interactive than the aquarium!” she says.

Haruka’s eyes light up once he hears the announcement. The ocean. The feel of it splashing on his feet, his body immersed in it. He looks to Makoto to share his joy in the best way he knows how only to see the taller boy tensing up and his expression shocked. Again, Haruka says nothing as Amataka-sensei shoos them out. The beach isn’t far away. It’s a ten minute walk from the aquarium.

Haruka stays behind as everyone else heads straight for the ocean. He looks at Makoto, tall and strong, but there’s a sort of mystery to him. Maybe it’s not a mystery. Maybe it’s just another thing about Makoto that differs from Haruka. They’ve only just met; he can’t possibly be aware of all of Makoto’s fears or joys or anything really except for the fact that he likes to take notes.

“Makoto.”

A moment of wind blowing through his hair and another faraway gaze before Makoto turns to face Haruka. He smiles.

“Yes?”

“Do you like the ocean?” he asks the question again.

Makoto smiles and lets out a sigh. “Yes…I do.” He pauses. “But…I’m also scared of it.”

Haruka suspected something like that but it still comes off as a shock for him. He can’t fully wrap his head around the idea that someone could be scared of the ocean, especially if they like it.

He doesn’t want to pry but the question slips from his lips before he can think. “Why?”

“Because it’s scary.”

Haruka waits for Makoto to elaborate.

“I used to swim a lot. I loved it. I-I still do. But…but when I was little, there was this boat. It wasn’t out that far on the ocean. It was still visible from the harbor. Then…a storm hit and the boat—the boat sank and everyone on it was gone. They went down with the boat. And all I could think about when I attended the funeral was ‘how can something I love, something that can bring life bring so much sadness and destruction?’

“I tried to not think about it by swimming my hardest in any pool I could find. I was so focused on swimming, just trying to swim away from that storm that I realized I wasn’t facing it. It wasn’t a good way for me to deal with it. So I stopped swimming and started spending more time with my family. I—I—That helped me a lot. I can deal with it now. A lot better than before.”

“But you’re still scared,” Haruka says.

“Yes…I am.”

They don’t say another word.

Another week passes. Makoto and Haruka still in their routine. The event from the week before is not mentioned. The marine biology club’s third meeting is at the aquarium again. They’re watching some documentary on fish. Haruka doesn’t care. His eyes keep going back to Makoto. Last week’s conversation hasn’t left his mind. Makoto grabs onto his shoulder as soon as the documentary shows a shark eating a smaller fish, blood polluting the water. Haruka takes Makoto’s hand and squeezes it, assuring him that he’s there and that everything will be okay. Makoto smiles, scooting closer to Haruka, feeling the warmth exuding off the shorter boy.

“Thank you,” Makoto says.

The documentary ends and the meeting is over. Makoto and Haruka walk home together. Once they’re about to pass by the ocean, Haruka stops. He pulls Makoto jacket sleeve. Startled, the taller boy looks back. Haruka walks towards the ocean dragging Makoto behind him.

“Wh-what are you doing, Haru?”

They stop a foot away from the water. Haruka points to it.

“This.”

“That?”

“Yes, that. I…love it. Swimming is everything to me. But…but lately, you have become a friend. My friend. As my friend, you—you are special to me. I know that you’re scared. There are things I’m afraid of too. But having someone beside you makes things better. Well, that’s what I’ve heard.”

“Oh…” Makoto feels his face burning for some reason.

“I don’t know if I’m special to you or not, but I am your friend and you are mine. And I want to do my favorite thing with you. Will you…swim with me?” Haruka turns towards the ocean, hoping Makoto didn’t catch his blush.

“I…yes. I will. I’ll swim as long as it’s with you.” Makoto’s blushing as well.

“Good.”

“Thank you, Haru.”


End file.
